Goodreads review: Kate Clayborn is such an amazing, detailed writer and we see that again in Georgie, All Along. There is just something so emotional, so sweeping about her writing style that is unlike anything else I've ever read and pulls me so far into the story. Her characters are incredibly well developed and nuanced in a way that is rare in romance - and don't get me wrong, I love a fluffy romance, but Kate Clayborn really takes the genre to new levels.

Synopsis: On the surface, this would seem like a simple story of a big city girl returning to her small hometown and falling in love with the local bad boy, but there is so much more to Georgie, All Along. Georgie, who has always felt like a mess except for when she is helping other people, loses her job as a personal assistant in LA and moves back to her small hometown in Virginia to help out her pregnant best friend, Bel. Her first day back, Georgie and Bel are going through some old things from high school and find their friend journal, where they wrote all their hopes and things they would accomplish in High School. Georgie realizes that they never got do to most of the things, and resolves to try to do most of the items in the journal as a way to see if she can fill the blank void she is feeling in her life and to give herself some clarity on what her next steps should be.

But Georgie gets a curveball pretty quickly when she gets to her parents' house, where she'll be staying and housesitting while they're traveling around in their RV. Her scatterbrained parents also promised the house to Levi, the older brother of Georgie's high school crush and the town bad boy. His house is going through some major repairs and he has no where else to go that will take him and his dog, Hank. Georgie, who is ever pragmatic and wants to help others, agrees that they can both stay at the house until Levi's place is ready.

Levi has put in a lot of work to shed his bad boy image. Now a home and business owner, he is completely buttoned up and never steps a toe out of line, quietly avoiding the family that disowned him and punishing himself for his past mistakes. Georgie has also always felt like an outsider and doesn't let Levi's past bother her, trying to befriend him. At first, they're an unlikely pair: Levi is a loner who is always planning for the future and trying to be perfect, whereas Georgie is a beautiful mess who lives in the moment. But when Levi offers to help her complete the items in the friend journal that pregnant Bel can't participate in, the two get closer and see past the others imperfections. But both are weighed down with their pasts and trying to figure out who they really are and who they want to be, and can't avoid their pasts forever.

Review: There were so many beautiful aspects to this book, I could really go on and on forever! I love how Georgie didn't let Levi's reputation and past bother her. She also felt like someone who was being judged by the town for who she was a teenager and immediately accepted Levi for who he was in the present. At the same time, she wasn't giving herself the same grace and was struggling with trying to figure out what she was "supposed" to be doing with her life and find fulfillment. Georgie was an amazing character - so kind and loving and giving to others, but not letting them push her around. She was willing to call Levi on his bullshit when needed and set boundaries to protect herself.

For his part, Levi was such a great character too. He loved his dog Hank so much, and that made me so melty. I loved how emotionally vulnerable he was with Georgie. He had a tough past and was working so hard to move past it but had internalized so much of that pain and believed the bad things that people said about him. He needed Georgie to push him to see that he shouldn't be so concerned about proving people wrong, and live life for himself. He absolutely fell first and I adored that! The dual POV in this was perfect, we could see how much he loved Georgie so quickly. There was some very tender and beautifully written spicy scenes as well. Of course there is conflict in their relationship, though - they get together and things are going well, but both are avoiding dealing with issues in their past and that comes to a head and both characters need to work on themselves and have their "aha" moment about who they are and want to be.

The supporting characters were also amazing! Bel is a perfect friend and her and Georgie's relationship was so funny and sweet. Georgie's hippie parents may be a bit of mess like her, but they were very loving and gave some good advice.

Overall this book was so perfect and I absolutely recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Georgie, All Along releases on January 31, 2023!

Instagram post: Kate Clayborn is such an amazing writer and we see that again in Georgie, All Along. There is something so emotional and sweeping about her writing style that is unlike anything else in the romance genre and pulls me completely into the story!

Book 📚: Georgie, All Along by @kateclayborn.author
Genre 💖: Contemporary Romance
Rating ⭐️: 5/5
Spice 🌶️: Some open door scenes

Synopsis: Georgie, who has always felt like a mess except for when she is helping others, loses her job as a personal assistant in LA and moves back to her small hometown in Virginia to help out her pregnant best friend, Bel. Going through some old things, Georgie and Bel find their old journal where they planned out all the big things they would do in high school. Georgie realizes she didn’t do most of them and decides to complete the tasks and see if they give her some clarity on what her next steps should be.

But Georgie gets a curveball when she gets to her parents’ supposedly empty house and finds that they also promised it to Levi, the older brother of Georgie’s high school crush and the town bad boy.

Levi has put in a lot of work to shed his bad image and is now very buttoned up, quietly avoiding the family that disowned him. At first, he and Georgie are an unlikely pair but when he offers to help her complete some of the tasks from the journal, the two get closer, but it forces them both to confront their pasts.

Review: There were so many beautiful aspects of this book, I could go on forever! I loved how Georgie didn’t let Levi’s past bother her, accepting him for who he was but struggling to show herself the same grace. Levi was also a great character, he had a rough past and had internalized a lot of pain. He was so emotionally vulnerable with Georgie and needed her to push him to live life for himself. There was so much depth, nuance, and growth for both characters.

The dual POV was perfect, I adored seeing how fast Levi fell for Georgie. There were also great supporting characters and the friendship between Georgie and Bel was so special.

Thank you to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for this ARC! Georgie, All Along will be out on January 31!

This was a cute rom-com, and I enjoyed reading it. The characters were pretty well thought out, the side characters were believable (not ridiculously quirky), and I liked the relationship between Georgie and her parents.

I always enjoy Clayborn's work and this was no exception. If I'm not mistaken, this was her first dual POV and I think she did a good job. I would have liked to see the MMC a little more fleshed out, but that's a minor gripe about an overall great book!

Ahh, I'm struggling with writing this review. On the one hand, I didn't really like the book that much. On the other, I'm conflicted about whether it's really just a me problem. The leads just didn't do it for me-- Georgie was just kind of there, being annoying, and Levi was a dick. None of it felt particularly real.
Fans of Sweet Home Alabama will enjoy this novel.

Georgie, All Along, Kate Clayborn (Publish Date: 1/23/23)
Georgie Mulcahy left her small town of Darentville, Virginia for the bright lights of Los Angeles almost a decade ago. Suddenly, she finds herself back home when her job as a personal assistant to a famous screenwriter/director ends with her employer's sudden retirement. Her best friend, Bel has also returned home to raise her first child.

Georgie is dreaming about her high school crush when his older brother, Levi Fanning appears as an accidental roommate along with his loveable rescue dog, Hank. Both Georgie and Levi have to figure out what they want in the future while facing down their past.

This book has all of the typical elements of a typical romance troupe, a heroine returning home to a small town from a big city after a sudden career change, but still feels fresh and with unexpected elements. If you have loved Clayborn's other books like the Chance of a Lifetime series or Love Lettering, you must read Georgie, All Along.

I received this book in an exchange for a honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books!

What an incredibly heartfelt and beautiful novel. This might be my favorite book that I've read this year. I loved Georgie, All Along so very much. Kate Clayborn has such a gift for crafting these tender and quieter novels that pack such a punch. I was hooked from the start and knew right away that I was reading something special. I actually slowed down my reading to make it last longer and so that I could absorb and really take in every word.

Things to look forward to:
- Tropes like: forced proximity, grumpy + sunshine, opposites attract, roommates, small town, cinnamon roll hero, slow burn
- Amazing female friendship and secondary characters. I loved Bel and Georgie so much. They truly understood each other and were always there for one another. They have the kind of friendship that always picks up right where they left off, no matter how much time may pass. The scene at the hospital brought tears to my eyes. Honestly, all of the secondary characters were wonderful.
- The humor. Kate Clayborn did such an incredible job balancing the more emotional moments with humor. The internal dialogue of the characters had me laughing so hard at times and I loved having both Levi and Georgie's POV's.
- Levi. Oh, taciturn, grumpy as can be, but pure cinnamon roll softy on the inside Levi. My heart broke for him as things were slowly revealed about his past, but I respected him so much for owning it. Though I don't agree with all the decisions he made, I can certainly understand why he made them. I loved how he truly saw Georgie, when everyone else couldn't or wouldn't. He completely stole my heart and if that wasn't enough, seeing him so sweet with Hank (who was basically a canine manifestation of Levi), sealed the deal. He has a lot to work through in the novel and the scene with Evan at the end made me cry.
- Georgie. At first she was a bit too chaotic for me, but as the novel progressed, her character made a lot more sense to me and was very relatable. I appreciated how her journey unfolded and that she (ultimately) tried to work through misunderstandings maturely by communicating openly and honestly.
- The steam. It's a slow burn between Georgie and Levi, but Kate Clayborn 100% delivered. I loved how things developed and how incredibly sexy it was, while still being kind of subtle. It's open door, but there's something quieter about it all. Like Kate Clayborn saved some small piece just for Georgie and Levi.
- The way the title was worked into the book. Though there technically isn't an epilogue, that last chapter left my heart so full and that ending was pure perfection!

If you enjoyed Kate Clayborn's previous books, there's no doubt in my mind that Georgie, All Along will check all of your boxes and become a favorite for you as well. Definitely a novel not to be missed!

CW: MMC is estranged from his family, familial tensions, mentions of: previous drug use/self medication with drugs, theft, fighting, abusive schooling facility/boarding school, emotional abuse from parent, etc., MMC's dog is attacked and wounded in day care, loss of parent (past, secondary character), grief, trouble in school (past)

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

I will start this review by saying that I think I found one of my new favorite authors! Trust me, I don’t normally say that after reading just one book, so this is huge. This novel right here is just all right amazing! It blows a lot of novels I have read this year out of water. This here is a romance that I believe I will gladly be talking about for a good while. We follow the lovely Georgie Mulcahy, who a few years after high school went from being a waitress to finding herself working on movie sets. She then ended up finding herself as a Personal Assistant for a writer/director. Of course that doesn’t last long cause out of nowhere the director decided to leave the fame and go live on a farm which leads our little Georgie to be now unemployed. Of course the universe as it’s way, and it gives her the hand of helping a friend who is about to have a baby in the next few months. Helping her friend they find a journal where they used to write about their dreams etc. This gives Georgie a way to do all the things that they never got to do in high school. With all of this happening, she ends up running into Levi who used to be a troublemaker and now is a quiet, grumpy guy. Georgie finds out that her own parents told Levi he can stay in their house but the kicker of it all, they told Georgie the exact same thing. Let’s just say that a romance comes to form and it’s just out right amazing. The tension, the buildup, everything in between is just all you may ask for in a romance like this. Just take my word for it and believe that this is just an amazing work of art in the world of reading. Pick this up right now you won’t regret it.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

Georgie returns home to her small town to start over after losing her job and finding herself out of sorts. When she ends up with an unexpected roommate, the older brother of her high school crush — and town bad boy— finding herself takes some surprising twists and turns.
Things I loved about this book:
- GEORGIE!! She was so delightful and relatable, and all the good things.
- Georgie’s relationship with Bel. The relationship between these two best friends was as good as the romantic relationship. Bel also provided some really nice humour.
-Grumpy, grumpy Levi. From the moment he’s introduced—hooded, like a dark superhero— in the convenience store, I was hooked. Perceived bad boy, shaky history with family, and how sweet and tender and in love he is with Georgie make him a hero worth rooting for.

This book was moving, emotional and is sure to give you all the feels you’d expect from a rich character-driven romance.

Georgie finds herself out of a job and having to move back to her hometown... and her parents house. When fate brings together her and Levi, the brother of her HS crush and also the town bad boy. Throughout this book you find Georgie finding herself again through the fic book she wrote with her best friend before they entered HS. The things that she once held onto as character traits that she needed to change are things that she realizes makes her beautifully who she is. The relationship between her and Levi is one that is believable and enjoyable to watch grow.

Thanks, Netgalley for the ARC of this book!

i’m so mad that i didn’t know kate clayborn and her beautiful, magical, soulful writing existed before i got the arc for georgie, all along.

i knew when i requested the arc on netgalley that i would most likely enjoy this book i however did not realise that i would fall MADLY IN LOVE with it.

there is a depth and honesty to clayborn’s writing that grabs hold of you and doesn’t let go and i’m not exaggerating when i say i cried, laughed and cooed my way through this book, it was truly a magical experience.

✨Book Review✨ Georgie All Along is the story of what happens when you realize you don’t have to have a five year plan for your life?

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I can’t remember the last time I highlighted so many passages in a book! It was refreshing to read a story where the FMC was ok being in the day to day and had loving, supportive parents.

Georgie, a PA is forced home after her boss leaves Hollywood. Unsure of what comes next, she finds a notebook she and her BFF, Bel (Annabel) wrote the summer before high school. Re-reading the hopes of teenage Georgie sparks something in her to try and do those things now.

Levi, the town bad boy from the prominent family, runs into Georgie, not once, but twice, her first day back. Taken with her carefree nature and beautiful heart, he’s smitten immediately. But he has things from his past to work out so he can move forward.

The story of these two together and individually was beautifully written. The way @kate combined them together and apart. A good cast of supporting characters that added to the town and the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for this ARC! Out on February 10, 2023!

#bookreview #bookstagram #GeorgieAllAlong #NetGalley

Such a great book! Kate Clayborn is a master at storytelling. This book, these characters have all the feels. Getting to know Georgie and Levi creates a special cocoon for the hard conversations and the easy, laughing out loud times. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. It’s another one of her books that you have to read.k

Kate Clayborn writes delightful slow-burn romances with full casts of characters that you just have to root for and "Georgie, All Along" is no different. Levi and Georgie's relationship is realistic and comforting without dragging on for chapters upon chapters.

I appreciate that Clayborn doesn't make either of her main characters true garbage humans or with too many flaws. She writes characters who might be a bit too perfect for some readers but it's nice to escape sometimes. The secondary storylines are all tightly written and don't detract from Levi and Georgie's relationships in a distracting manner at all.

This is the perfect fall comfort read, nearly Gilmore Girls-esque even.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a slow building romance that took me a while to get into. At first I thought it was the usual, small town girl returns home with her tail between her legs and then falls for the town baddie, whom she actually can't stand -enemies to lovers- romance. About a third into the story it really picks up.

I've read previous books by Clayborn. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that her MCs could be the people next door. They have to work through the issues in their lives, coming out stronger more stable people and a stronger couple in the end.

I love this book, I couldn’t put it down and I can’t really say why I love it so much except for the fact that Georgie is one character that is in all of us. It is funny and lighthearted at first but you get to empathize with Georgie and Levi. About societal and family expectations and how it really does mess with us one way or another. Georgie, All Along go read it and you really won’t regret it.

I loved this book. I wish I had really eloquent and deep thoughts to share about why I loved it so much, but it’s probably going to come out as rambling. Georgie? Loved her. I found myself identifying with and relating to her so much. Not having life “figured out” when it seems like everyone around her does. The journey to realizing who she is is exactly what makes her wonderful was so gratifying. Levi? Adored him. A man who been through it growing up, who owns his own choices and role in the “going through it” struggle, who accepts help and therapy and makes a good life for himself, but still isn’t afraid to (eventually) face the parts of himself and his story that could still use some work. Georgie and Levi together? My heart. The way they complement and balance each other and support each other. There’s a softness to them that I felt so endeared to. They have stumbles, but neither gives up on the other. Special shout-out to Georgie’s parents for being awesome. I haven’t even touched on the secondary characters, but they all have meaningful roles in the main story and they never feel like they’re there as placeholders or to fill space. I’ve read a few Kate Clayborn novels in the past and always enjoyed them, but this one is definitely my new favorite. I’ll be buying a copy when it releases.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC.

I read Clayborn's 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 series back-to-back-to-back in September and told myself to wait a bit to read her upcoming release (PUB 01.31.23) 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐄, 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐆.

Couldn't do it- I read it already and I'm not mad about it. Thanks to for early access. 

Ok, this cover. The black and pink and all that yellow. Swoon. 

More importantly- the book. At its core it's a story about Georgie. She's at a crossroads and finds herself back in her hometown where she  revisits a "friendfic" from her teenage years and attempts to make different decisions this go round. The dual POV gave the reader a deep dive glimpse into some deeper insecurities and made the characters feel alive.

I loved that the book wasn't just about the main couple (grumpy monosyllabic Levi), but also a cast of secondary characters that were fun, supportive and loyal. This book was a delight from the "double booked unplanned roommates" beginning to the swooning, sublime ending. 

MORE: 
- Small town
- “Romance Adjacent”
- Simple in its complexity.

Thanks to @kensingtonbooks for an advance copy of Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn, out January 24th!

Georgie, All Along follows Georgie as she returns to her hometown in the wake of a job layoff slash epiphany about her life (or lack thereof). On a mission to revisit the last time she had direction, she decides to live out the friend fic she and her best friend wrote about their high school years. Along the way she ropes straight laced Levi into her plans — even though revisiting the past is the last thing he wants to do.

Georgie and Levi are sooo swoony. I will forever love a monosyllabic broody hero and an effervescent messy heroine (Gilmore Girls happened at a very pivotal time in my life 🤣). Speaking of which, I LOVED Levi’s “what happened if Jess never left Stars Hollow?” vibes. It’s a book about family and friendship and figuring your shit out (or not!!!) and navigating the place you reach in your thirties where you feel adrift, and like everyone has it figured out but you.

Kate Clayborn just has a *way* of writing that cracks me open and puts me back together again. I finished the book with 1% battery left (my kindle was very concerned) because I couldn’t stop reading long enough to charge it. This is my third Kate Clayborn book and each of her books and characters have a special place in my heart.

CW: sexual content, parental estrangement and abuse

Kate Clayborn somehow always knows what your soul needs and when it needs it. This book is no exception. It's like being wrapped in a glorious, comfy hug. The perfect read for fall and winter.

This book stole my heart. It made me laugh, cry, gasp and swoon. Kate’s characters come to life effortlessly in the pages of this book and it truly gives you a feeling of coming home, of finding yourself, as well as the stunning romance between Georgie and Levi. I cannot wait to sell this book to readers.